________________
320
S. B. DEO
On prasasta lagnas doing of good works was advocated.
The following was the ascending order of various items of increasing importance. They were to be taken into consideration while starting any activity :
Divasa → tithi → nakşatra karana -grahadina muhurta sakuna lagnanimitta.
It will be clear from the above details that astronomical and superstitious elements had an important part to play in the life of the monk.
DEATH AND FUNERAL RITES :
We have already seen the different types of good and bad deaths as given in the different texts of the Angas.
Chedasūtras :
The Niśīthasūtra condemns the same forms of death as the texts of the Angas do. The only difference is that a monk who praised such forms of death as the fall from a mountain (giripadana), or from a 'maru' (precipice), or from a 'bhigu' (lofty place), or from a tree (tarupadana), or drowning (jalapavesa), or entering fire (jalanapavesa), or eating poison (visabhakkhana), or killing by weapon (satthovadana), or hanging (vehānasa), or letting one's body to be eaten up by vultures (giddhapittha), or such other forms of improper deaths (bālamarana), had to undergo a punishment for that.572
Upāngas :
In the twelve Upāngas also we seldom come across new information regarding different forms of death. The same forms as in the Angas are to be found. The Aupapātika573 refers to 'bhattapaccakkhāņa' and the ‘pāövagamaņa'. These are further divided each into two types called 'vāghāima' (adopted on account of a calamity: comm.: simhadāvānalīdyabhibhūto yat pratipadyate), and 'nivväghāïme' (vyāghātavirahitar). Prakīrņakas :
Some of the texts of this group-'Bhaktaparijñā, Maranasamādhi and Samstāraka'-describe in detail some forms of death, though these are not entirely new to the Angas.
572. Nis. 11, 92. See Appendix 1. 573. Pp. 70, 178, etc.
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